1:48 Mirage IIIR #317 ER 1/33 Belfort 1986

Decals for the Mirage IIIR, fuselage number 317, 1:48 scale

A decal sheet in 1:48 scale for the reconnaissance version of the Mirage III aircraft. It relates to the machine with the fuselage number 317 of the reconnaissance unit with the traditional name Belfort and to the year 1986.

How the reconnaissance version differs

The Mirage III is a textbook delta: a triangular wing without horizontal tail surfaces, a slender fuselage and a sharp point. On the IIIR version, though, the point looks different. Instead of a radar, photographic equipment fitted into the nose, and the nose is therefore fuller and shorter and carries glazed windows at the sides and underneath. It is exactly by these that a reconnaissance machine is recognized at first glance, and it is exactly those windows that tend to be the most laborious on a model, because they have to stay clear.

Reconnaissance machines moreover tended to carry unit badges in a more striking form than fighters, so a model gains character even without a colorful festive finish.

• A decal sheet in 1:48 scale for the Mirage IIIR
• The machine with the fuselage number 317, 1986
• The badges of the reconnaissance unit with the traditional name Belfort
• An add-on set for finishing a kit
• The subject is the version with photographic equipment in the nose instead of a radar

How to work with the decals

Clear-coat the area the decal is to go on with a gloss varnish first, otherwise a silvery haze will appear under the film. Cut the motif out as close as possible, soak it and let it rest until it will slide easily off its backing. Settle it on the moistened place, align it with a brush and blot the water with a napkin. Use a decal softener on engraving and riveting and let the decal be drawn in; do not press on it. Finally unify the area with a matte varnish.

This is a set of decals. The kit, paints and varnish are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.